Page 2 | 11+ prep

Tellmeifimwrong · 2023-07-25T17:41:53+00:00

Would you say a child who passes the 11+ test with 6 weeks prep is very intelligent?

JadeClade · 25/07/2023 19:08

Yellowlegobrick · 25/07/2023 19:06

All my children are in grammar schools. All practiced 11+ papers at home during the summer holidays before the exam in September.

Did they attend state primary schools?

Your children are the exception.in bucks children at prep schools are often being taught material a year or two ahead of state schools so are already heavily practised at the transfer test material at an earlier age. There's a lot of technique and state schools simply aren't allowed to prep so for the reasoning papers, a year of tutoring is what enables state school pupils to compete against better prepared prep kids. In reality even then prep school kids are over represented.

yes, state primary.

But of course, 6 weeks prep might not in fact be less than a year of tutoring, if the tutoring is an hour a week, and the 6 weeks is 2 hours a day

Yellowlegobrick · 25/07/2023 19:06

All my children are in grammar schools. All practiced 11+ papers at home during the summer holidays before the exam in September.

Did they attend state primary schools?

Your children are the exception.in bucks children at prep schools are often being taught material a year or two ahead of state schools so are already heavily practised at the transfer test material at an earlier age. There's a lot of technique and state schools simply aren't allowed to prep so for the reasoning papers, a year of tutoring is what enables state school pupils to compete against better prepared prep kids. In reality even then prep school kids are over represented.

JadeClade · 25/07/2023 19:05

Tellmeifimwrong · 25/07/2023 19:01

Ah ok well to be more specific this was just over the pass mark for the top school in our area and they were offered a place. This child is now incredibly worried that they'll be at the bottom of the class as they only got just over the pass mark for that school.

They will be fine, Grammars are used to supporting the kids that just scraped in, and tbh, there isn't much correlation between 11+ mark and position in the class anyway. There are kids in Grammar who are below average in many areas, and sometimes you wonder how on Earth they passed! But students all vary in their abilities in different subjects and in different years, and even the very low achievers are helped through, and no reason to think this child is a low achiever.

purplejeanie · 25/07/2023 19:05

Depends whether the school is 'super selective' or not. Also, most eleven plus exams test on the whole of the year 6 maths curriculum, but children sit the exam at the beginning of year 6.

Livinglacheetosloca · 25/07/2023 19:03

Yes. However plenty "pass" but not all get a high enough pass to get into the top flight schools.

Original poster

Tellmeifimwrong · 25/07/2023 19:01

Ah ok well to be more specific this was just over the pass mark for the top school in our area and they were offered a place. This child is now incredibly worried that they'll be at the bottom of the class as they only got just over the pass mark for that school.

OP posts:

modgepodge · 25/07/2023 18:59

JadeClade · 25/07/2023 18:54

What can you learn in a year that you cant learn in a few weeks? You only need to know how the questions work, and brush up on the maths. Children taking 11+ need to be articulate and used reading and conversation, but that comes from general life, not 11+ preparation specifically

All my children are in grammar schools. All practiced 11+ papers at home during the summer holidays before the exam in September.

You need to understand what the questions are asking, but once you know that, then you know it

Show quote history

This is all well and good but I’d say your kids are the exception not the rule. Most kids going for grammar have more than a few weeks of teaching themselves using books.

and clearly, you can learn a lot more in a year than in 6 weeks. Otherwise why not only attend school for 6 weeks a year?

Diddykong · 25/07/2023 18:56

I'd say normal as 'pass' in our 11+ area doesn't mean much as schools set their own result requirements which are much higher so while many do pass, few get into the most desired schools.

JadeClade · 25/07/2023 18:54

Yellowlegobrick · 25/07/2023 18:49

Jade its not normal to do only 6 weeks prep.

I live in an 11+ area. The norm (for all state school pupils except a handful with additional needs who may not be taking the test) is tutoring for at least a full year. Most of the better of families start in early prep classes even 6-12 months before this.

What can you learn in a year that you cant learn in a few weeks? You only need to know how the questions work, and brush up on the maths. Children taking 11+ need to be articulate and used reading and conversation, but that comes from general life, not 11+ preparation specifically

All my children are in grammar schools. All practiced 11+ papers at home during the summer holidays before the exam in September.

You need to understand what the questions are asking, but once you know that, then you know it

Original poster

Tellmeifimwrong · 25/07/2023 18:52

That's true @Almondcakeismyfav
This was just over the pass mark with 6 weeks prep. Maybe loads of kids get just over the pass mark with little prep and the truly gifted ones get the significantly higher marks. I have no idea how hard the exam is!

OP posts:

Yellowlegobrick · 25/07/2023 18:49

Jade its not normal to do only 6 weeks prep.

I live in an 11+ area. The norm (for all state school pupils except a handful with additional needs who may not be taking the test) is tutoring for at least a full year. Most of the better of families start in early prep classes even 6-12 months before this.

JadeClade · 25/07/2023 18:46

6 weeks is about normal prep, so passing after 6 weeks prep puts you in the top 25% ish

Almondcakeismyfav · 25/07/2023 18:44

Significantly above average - some kids get very high scores though significantly in excess of the pass mark

Pottedpalm · 25/07/2023 18:42

Yes